Will Anti-Abortion Democrats Ruin Health Care Reform?

It’s out-of-whack to allow health care reform to be held up by an abortion debate. The uninsured Americans who need coverage aren’t anxious to finally be insured so they can run to the nearest clinic and get abortions. Yet, it’s anti-abortion lawmakers, and Democratic ones, who are holding up the works, trying to force through a restrictive amendment in the Senate, as they did in the House.

Both sides agree the amendment likely doesn’t have enough votes to pass, but antiabortion groups and Sen. Ben Nelson (D., Neb., pictured) say they will continue insisting on tough language as a condition for supporting the overall bill.

[…]

As it stands now, the Senate health bill would include abortion coverage in the new public plan and would allow women who receive government tax credits for insurance to enroll in a plan that covers the procedure. The tax credit would be segregated so none of it could go toward funding abortion.

Antiabortion advocates say that’s too lenient and want to prevent any insurance plan that receives federal funding from covering the procedure, except in the case of rape, incest or danger to the life of the mother

Sen. Nelson plans to introduce an amendment that mirrors the tighter funding restrictions the House added to its health bill, based on a proposal by Rep. Bart Stupak (D., Mich.). The measure would prevent the public insurance plan from covering abortion. It would also prohibit any woman who got the tax credit from enrolling in a plan that covers the procedure.

Religious groups are advocating for stricter anti-abortion measures; why are we allowing religion to dictate policy? As Senator Patty Murray correctly notes, “It is a shock to all of us…that this has come down to an abortion issue.”